Distinguishing Features : A sweetly smelling frothy foam of creamy white flowers. Also the fruits are spiralled into a tight ball, about the size of a match-head. Always grows beside freshwater.

Some books say that the roots of this plant yield a red/pink dye whilst others say it yields a black dye.

A greenish-yellow dye can be extracted from the flowering tops this plant, whilst the leaves and stem yield a blue dye.

Meadowsweet is related to Dropwort which is in the same Genus.

ASPIRIN Salicin is a pharmaceutical drug used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent which is found mostly in the bark of the tree White Willow (Salix alba) (from which it is commercially extracted), but was first found in Meadowsweet. It has a bitter taste similar to quinine. Salicin is a phenyl β-glucoside. When metabolised by the human body it is converted to Salicylic Acid. Aspirin (Acetyl Salicylic Acid) also has pharmaceutical uses in humans; such as to thin the blood and prevent the clumping of platelets within the blood which helps prevent the blood from coagulating and thereby causing thrombosis. In lower doses it is used to prevent heart attacks, strokes and blood clotting. It also has anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory effects and is used as a general purpose medicine at home for influenza and colds (or was - its use in such roles is now discouraged). It is a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and one of the most widely used drugs, being manufactured commercially. Aspirin has certain undesirable side effects, namely bleeding of the stomach, gastro-intestinal ulcers, tinnitus, and the risk of Reye's syndrome in children. It should not be used by those with stomach ulcers, or by those on warfarin, another blood-thinning drug. Methyl Salicylate is used pharmaceutically as a rubifacient in deep-heat ointments and linaments, and as flavouring in some candies and chewing gums as an alternative to the more popular Spear Mint and Peppermint flavours. It is also used as an antiseptic in mouth wash products. ASPIRIN - A PLANT SIGNALLING MOLECULE Aspirin, or Acetyl Salicylic Acid, is also found in plants, being a plant hormone (phytohormone) which not only helps the plant grow but also is involved in a pathway signalling the presence of plant pathogens and mediating the plant defence against the pathogens. Once activated by a pathogen, it is also involved in inducing resistance to the pathogen in parts of the plant not yet infected. The signalling process also invokes the conversion of salicylic acid into the volatile ester, methyl salicylate, whereupon it can then drift through the air to other nearby plants to prime them against the presence of a nearby pathogen or pest, warning of their proximity by remote control. Methyl Salicylate is also called Oil of Wintergreen, and is indeed produced by the Wintergreen plants, such as Round Leaved Wintergreen, some species of Gaultheria, most members of the Pyrolaceae Family, some species of plants of the Genus Betula and all species of plants of the Spiraea family, including Dropwort. To humans Methyl Salicylate, being an ester, smells sweet, hence the name Meadowsweet. Methyl Salicylate is, however, not only toxic but also an insect pheromone. By this means the plant is also able to attract beneficial insects that will help kill the invading herbivorous insect pests.

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